Wire Winder

ABSTRACT

A battery powered, microprocessor controlled device that rotates a motorized horizontal winder assembly to wind the suspension wire of an acoustic ceiling tile system about itself. It has a winder assembly made of a worm drive and housing. The housing and worm wheel have a alignable open throats extending to their midpoints to accommodate the insertion of the vertical component of the suspension wire. A wire lug extends from the bottom face of the work wheel that contacts the tail of the suspension wire to spin the tail about the rest of the suspension wire.

COPYRIGHT STATEMENT

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains material that is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

FIELD

The present disclosure relates, in general, to acoustical ceiling tile installation devices and more particularly to wire winding technology.

BACKGROUND

Acoustic ceiling tile (ACT) suspension systems utilize sets of inverted linear “Tee” rails hung in parallel suspension overhead at a predetermined height. These Tee rails are held suspended by 12 Gauge steel wires that have their distal ends anchored to the ceiling above and their proximal ends affixed to the vertical bars of the Tee rails. Each rail is made of a vertical plate that lies parallel to and along the linear axis of a horizontal plate. In the vertical plate is a plethora of orifices through which the suspension wire can be threaded and bent approximately 180 degrees so that it lies parallel and adjacent itself momentarily so the Tee rail height can be verified and or adjusted. After the Tee rail height is properly established, at a distance that clears the vertical bar of the inverted Tee” rail, the suspension wire is bent so as to overlaps itself at approximately 90 degrees, therein forming a “tail”. (The complete bend is 270 degrees) The building code requires that the proximal end (now horizontal tail) of the suspension wire be wound around the vertical section of the suspension wire a minimum of three times or 1080 degrees within a vertical span of two inches.

This suspension wire winding fatigues the fingers and the end can cut into or poke the fingers. Also, workers often do not complete the code-required number of turns of the tail about the vertical component of the suspension wire. Still, in other situations the workers do not complete the winding within the allotted vertical height.

Henceforth, a device that provides a quick and simple manner of affixing 12 Gauge steel suspension wires for hanging the Tee rails for acoustic tile ceiling panels that wound the suspension wire in conformance with the regulatory code requirements, would fulfill a long felt need in the acoustic ceiling tile installation industry. This new invention utilizes and combines known and new technologies in a unique and novel configuration to overcome the aforementioned problems and accomplish this.

BRIEF SUMMARY

In accordance with various embodiments, a portable motorized wire winder adapted for completing 1080 degrees of rotation of a horizontal suspension wire tail about the vertical section of the same suspension wire is provided.

In one aspect, an inexpensive, battery powered mechanical wire winder that allows for “hands free” suspension wire winding for the installation of ceiling tile rail systems.

In another aspect, a portable, lightweight wire winder programmable for auto completion of a specific number of wire rotations before automatic shutdown is provided.

In yet another aspect, an automatic wire winder having sufficient torque to twist a wide range of wire about itself, up to and including 4 Gauge wire is provided.

Various modifications and additions can be made to the embodiments discussed without departing from the scope of the invention. For example, while the embodiments described above refer to particular features, the scope of this invention also includes embodiments having different combination of features and embodiments that do not include all of the above described features.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A further understanding of the nature and advantages of particular embodiments may be realized by reference to the remaining portions of the specification and the drawings, in which like reference numerals are used to refer to similar components.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a Tee rail for an ACT suspension system in the suspension adjustment phase;

FIG. 2 is a perspective partial view of a section of a Tee rail for an ACT suspension system with the suspension wire tail established;

FIG. 3 is a perspective partial view of a section of a Tee rail for an ACT suspension system with the code required number of tail windings performed;

FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the wire winder;

FIG. 5 is a side perspective view of the wire winder;

FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the worm wheel;

FIG. 7 is a top view of the worm gear;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the inside face of the bottom worm assembly housing;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the inside face of the top worm assembly housing; and

FIG. 10 is a top perspective view of the outside top face of the top worm assembly housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF CERTAIN EMBODIMENTS

While various aspects and features of certain embodiments have been summarized above, the following detailed description illustrates a few exemplary embodiments in further detail to enable one skilled in the art to practice such embodiments. The described examples are provided for illustrative purposes and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

In the following description, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the described embodiments. It will be apparent to one skilled in the art, however, that other embodiments of the present invention may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should be appreciated that the features described with respect to one embodiment may be incorporated with other embodiments as well. By the same token, however, no single feature or features of any described embodiment should be considered essential to every embodiment of the invention, as other embodiments of the invention may omit such features.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers herein used to express quantities, dimensions, and so forth, should be understood as being modified in all instances by the term “about.” In this application, the use of the singular includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise, and use of the terms “and” and “or” means “and/or” unless otherwise indicated. Moreover, the use of the term “including,” as well as other forms, such as “includes” and “included,” should be considered non-exclusive. Also, terms such as “element” or “component” encompass both elements and components comprising one unit and elements and components that comprise more than one unit, unless specifically stated otherwise.

As used herein, the term “tail” refers to the proximal end section of a suspension wire that gets wound around the vertical section of the same suspension wire so as to lock the Tee rail in place.

As used herein the term “Tee rail” refers to a lightweight inverted Tee shaped member having a vertical liner plate with its lower edge affixed along the linear centerline of a horizontal linear plane so as to have its plane extending upward, perpendicular to the plane of the horizontal linear member. There are multiple orifices formed through the vertical linear member for the passage and securement of suspension wires. ACTs are supported on the horizontal Tee rail.

As used herein. the term “wire lug” refers to any mechanical projection that extends from the face of the worm wheel and can contact and constrain the tail for winding about the vertical component of the suspension wire.

The present invention relates to a novel design for a portable, battery powered wire winder to be used to wrap an ACT suspension wire tail around the vertical section of the same suspension wire so as to lock into place an ACT rail

Looking at FIGS. 1 to 3, in the way of background, and to illustrate what the wire winder 1 is attempting to accomplish, ACT suspension systems utilize sets of inverted “Tee” rails 2 hung in parallel suspension overhead at a predetermined height. The rails are held suspended by 12 gauge steel suspension wires 4 that have their distal ends anchored to the ceiling above. Each rail 2 has a horizontal linear member 8 with a vertical linear member 6 extending perpendicularly therefrom with its lower edge affixed along the linear axis of the horizontal linear member 8. There is a plethora of orifices 10 through the vertical linear member 6 through which the suspension wire 4 is threaded and then bent over approximately 180 degrees so that it lies parallel and adjacent itself. (FIG. 1) In this configuration the rail height is verified and/or adjusted, then, at a distance that clears the vertical bar of the inverted Tee” rail, the suspension wire 4 is bent so as to form a tail 12 overlapping itself at approximately 90 degrees. (FIG. 2) The complete bend in the suspension wire 4 to form a tail 12 is approximately 270 degrees. To secure the Tee rail 2 in place, the tail 12 is tightly wrapped around the vertical section of the suspension wire 4. (FIG. 3) Most building codes require that the proximal end (seen as horizontal in FIG. 2) of the wire be wrapped around the vertical section of the wire a minimum of three times or 1080 degrees within a vertical span of two inches.

The wire winder 1 (FIG. 5) is a battery powered, microprocessor controlled motor, that rotates a horizontal winder assembly 99 (a operationally enmeshed worm gear and throated worm wheel with a wire lug extending therefrom, all held in an operable, rotatable configuration in a worm assembly housing made of a bottom housing half 38 (FIG. 8) and a top housing half 40 (FIG. 9), within an alignable open throated housing to horizontally wrap a suspension wire tail around the vertical component of the suspension wire a preset number of rotations before it automatically stops.

Looking at FIG. 4 one can see that the wire winder 1 has a configuration similar to a battery powered drill except it has a top mounted microprocessor 80 and a horizontal circular housing at its front nose rather than a drill chuck assembly.

Looking at FIGS. 4 and 5, it can be seen that the wire winder 1 has a base 16 that operationally houses a removable, rechargeable DC battery 18. Affixed atop of the base 16 is a handle housing made of a pair of complementary side handles 20 and 22 that internally house the trigger switch assembly 24. Mounted atop of the side handles is the motor assembly 26 which comprises a DC electric rotational motor 28 held in a spaced configuration in the wire winder 1 by its motor housing 30 such that the motor's rotational shaft 32 extends horizontally beyond the front of the side handles 20 and 22. The shaft 32 is cylindrical and matingly engages a complimentary socket in the back end of the worm gear 34, although there are a plethora of other mechanical couplings that could be substituted as functional equivalents. This may be a frictional fit, or once inserted, the two complimentary parts may be affixed together by mechanical means (pins, clips, screws, etc.) or chemical means (glue).

The worm gear 34 (FIG. 7) is operationally engaged with a matingly conformed worm wheel 36 that is held in the horizontal plane by the worm assembly housing. In this manner the vertical rotation of the motor's rotational shaft 32 is translated to the horizontal plane rotation of the worm wheel 36. (FIG. 6) A wire lug 42 extends perpendicularly from the bottom face of the worm wheel 36. In its preferred embodiment the wire lug 42 is nothing more than a simple post with a flanged head, such as a bolt or screw. The flanged head retains the proximal end of the wire from slipping off of the wire lug 42. The wire lug is eccentric to the center of rotation of the worm wheel 36 and in its preferred embodiment it resides in line with the linear axis of the worm wheel throat 64. The worm wheel 36 has a magnet 72 affixed therein the worm wheel that during part of its rotation, aligns with the Hall Effect Sensor 74 affixed in the bottom housing half 38. The magnet disposed in said worm wheel, is between the midpoint of the worm wheel and the peripheral edge of the worm wheel such that as the worm wheel rotates, the magnet moves in a circular path with its midpoint the midpoint of the worm wheel. The Hall Effect Sensor 74 is fixed in the bottom housing half 38 directly adjacent a point in the circular path the magnet 72 travels. Although there are other placements in alternate embodiments such as in the upper housing half 40, the Hall Effect sensor 74 will always be positioned directly above and operatively spaced at a fixed point adjacent (aligned below) the magnet 72 as it travels about its circular path as the worm wheel rotates.

Looking at FIG. 7, the worm gear 34 is a cylindrical member having a thickened proximal end 46 with a stopped axial socket formed partially therein to accommodate the motor's rotational shaft 32. Its distal end is formed into a plain, cylindrical bearing 44 that resides in matingly conformed front bearing recesses 46 and 48 in the bottom housing half 38 (FIG. 8) and the top housing half 40 (FIG. 9) as well as rear bearing recesses 50 and 52 in the bottom housing half 38 (FIG. 8) and the top housing half 40 (FIG. 9). These bearing recesses 46, 48, 50 and 52 encase and support the worm gear for rotational movement and hold its helical side tooth 54 in contact with the side teeth 56 of the worm wheel 36, for its horizontal rotation.

The worm assembly housing is a clamshell style housing made of a bottom housing half 38 and a top housing half 40. The bottom housing half 38 (FIG. 8) has a tapered throat 56 that opens into a circular opening. There is a lower circular race 60 on the inner face of the bottom housing half 38 and a substantially similar upper circular race 62 in the housing top half 40 (FIGS. 9 and 10) that accommodate the stepped configuration of the top and bottom faces of worm wheel 36, allowing for its rotational retention where its side teeth 56 operationally engage with the worm gear's helical tooth 54. In the preferred embodiment the worm wheel and worm gear are made of a polymer and because of the small loading seen on them, to prevent operational issues with the Hall Effect Sensor, and generous tolerances in their fitting with the housing halves, require no lubrication.

It is to be noted that the bottom housing half 38 differs from the top housing half 40 in two major respects. First, it has a central circular aperture 70 that extends beyond the position of the wire lug 42 on the worm wheel 36. This allows for the unhampered circular travel of the wire lug. Second, the worm wheel has a Hall Effect Sensor recess 66 formed on in inner face to house the Hall Effect Sensor 68.

Both the bottom housing half 38, the top housing half 40 and the worm wheel 36 have alignable first, second and third linear throats 66, 68 and 64 that extend from their outer sides to at least their midpoints. All three of these throats need to align to begin winding operation. The worm wheel throat 64 is a radial slot through the wheel. The bottom housing half throat 66 is a beveled opening from its side into the central circular aperture 70. The top housing half throat 64 is a linear slot, beveled at its side opening and extending beyond its midpoint. The top housing half 40 may have an optional planar cover (not illustrated) with a throat similar to those described above such that matches that of the underlying worm wheel. The above described throat design prevents the suspension wire from moving as the worm wheel rotates, holding the suspension wire 4 centered and steady in the device as the tail 12 is wound around it.

All throats have a beveled opening to allow easy insertion of the vertical component of the suspension wire 4.

Although there are numerous ways to house the worm wheel in the housing for free rotation, in the preferred embodiment the top and bottom planar faces of the worm wheel 36 have a stepped configuration that fits into 62

There is a microprocessor 80 that is mounted to the top of the motor housing 30. It is in hard wired operational contact with the battery 18, motor 28, trigger switch assembly 24 and Hall Effect 68. (The connecting wires are not shown for visual clarity.) The microprocessor has a throat alignment circuit and a rotation counter circuit. These two circuits use signals from the Hall Effect Sensor 68 to adjust the three set rotation speeds of the motor (and direct driven, connected worm wheel.)

The motor 28 runs at one of three different constant speeds, drawing a constant voltage and current from the battery. The amperage to the motor is limited or governed by the microprocessor to adjust the motor speed. The amperage (speed) is controlled by a signal from the microprocessor determined by the position of the worm wheel or by the number of rotations the worm wheel has completed in its winding cycle. Both of these are determined by the Hall Effect Sensor and its magnet. The three different speed signals sent to the motor are: the throat alignment speed, the winding cycle speed (fastest) and the winding cycle completion speed (slowest). These three speeds are used for aligning the throats 64, 66 and 68 and for winding the tail around the vertical component of the suspension wire. It is to be noted that the motor rotates in one direction only.

Operationally, first actuation of the trigger assembly 24 engages the throat alignment circuit. Pulling the trigger completes the electrical circuit from the battery 18 to the printed circuit board of the microprocessor 80. The microprocessor 80 queries the Hall Effect Sensor 74 to see if the magnet 72 housed on the worm wheel 36 gear is aligned below the Hall Effect Sensor 74. If these two are aligned, all three of the throats 64, 66 and 68 are aligned for operation and there will be a completion of the Hall Effect Sensor circuit signaling the microprocessor to switch to the winding circuit so that it may begin the winding cycle.

If the magnet 72 and Hall Effect Sensor 74 are not aligned when the trigger assembly 24 is actuated, there will be no signal to the microprocessor and the microprocessor will allocate power to the motor 28 to spin it at the throat alignment speed rotating the attached worm gear 34 and worm wheel 36, until the magnet 72 aligns with the Hall Effect Sensor 74. When this alignment occurs, a signal is sent to the microprocessor 80 to stop power to the motor 28 leaving the magnet 72, sensor 74, and all three throats aligned and ready for operation. At this time the microprocessor will switch to take instructions from winding circuit.

Once the throats are all aligned, the vertical component of the suspension wire can be inserted into the aligned throats of the wire winder 1 down to the inner end of the throats. The wire winder 1 is slid down the suspension wire until the tail contacts the bottom housing half 38. A release and second squeeze of the trigger is required to enter the winding cycle. Thus, the initial trigger squeeze always aligns the rotational throat of the worm wheel 36 and the fixed throats of the top and bottom housing halves.

Upon the second actuation of the trigger assembly, the motor rotates spinning the worm gear and worm wheel. The wire lug contacts the tail and spins it about the rest of the suspension wire. There is a winding circuit in the microprocessor 80 that through the Hall Effect Sensor 74, counts the rotations of the magnet 72 as the worm wheel spins during the winding cycle, and upon a user preset number, of rotations (preferably four) tells the microprocessor 80 to slow the motor rotation speed on the last rotation and to stop the motor when the magnet 72 and sensor 74 align after the preset number of rotations. In this position all three throats will be aligned and the device can be removed from the suspension wire. At this time the suspension wire is secured with the correct number of rotations. The slower speed ensures that the three throats are aligned when the motor stops.

Upon the signal to the microprocessor to slow the speed on the last rotation, the microprocessor 80 limits the motor current to slow its rotation. This eliminates the possibility of any “backlash” causing trouble aligning the throats. It also reduces wear and tear on the gears of the horizontal winder assembly.

Simply, the user looks to see if the throats are aligned, if not they pull the trigger until they are aligned. Once the wire has been bent approximately 270 degrees so there is a horizontal tail, the vertical component of the wire above the Tee is inserted into the back of the aligned throats. (This will be the approximate rotational center of the worm wheel.) The trigger is squeezed and the wire lug contacts and spins the tail about the vertical component of the suspension wire until the microprocessor stops the motor.

In simplified alternate embodiments, there may be no microprocessor and Hall Effect Sensor. In such a simple embodiment the trigger assembly directly connects the battery to the motor and the user performs manual throat alignment and manual winding. In this embodiment the maximum rotational speed of the motor may be limited to a slower speed.

In its most simple configuration the wire winder is a battery powered rotational motor coupled to a horizontal winder assembly having a linear throat therethrough and a wire lug extending therefrom is adapted to travel in a circular path so as to horizontally twist a proximal end of a wire engaged on said wire lug about a vertical section of the same wire that resides in the linear throat at the midpoint of its circular path.

While certain features and aspects have been described with respect to the exemplary embodiment, one skilled in the art will recognize that numerous modifications are possible. Moreover, while the procedures for building, assembling and using the device described herein is described in a particular order for ease of description, unless the context dictates otherwise, various procedures may be reordered, added, and/or omitted in accordance with other embodiments. Consequently, it will be appreciated that the invention is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims. 

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is as follows:
 1. A portable wire winder comprising: a base; a battery housed in said base; a handle housing made of a pair of complimentary conformed side handles, said handle housing affixed to said base; a trigger switch assembly operationally connected to said battery and mounted in said handle housing; a rotational motor operatively connected to said battery through said trigger switch assembly, said rotational motor having a rotatable shaft, said rotational motor mounted in a motor housing to form a motor assembly, said motor assembly affixed to said handle housing; and a horizontal winder assembly affixed to said motor housing and operationally connected to said rotatable shaft.
 2. The portable wire winder of claim 1 wherein said horizontal winder assembly comprises: a worm gear affixed to said rotatable shaft; a worm wheel matingly conformed to, and engaged for rotation with said worm gear; a wire lug extending from said worm wheel; a throat extending from a peripheral edge of said worm wheel to at least the midpoint of said worm wheel; and a worm assembly housing containing said worm gear and said worm wheel.
 3. The portable wire winder of claim wherein said worm wheel has a first throat extending from a peripheral edge to at least a midpoint of said worm wheel; wherein said worm assembly housing is a clamshell style housing made of a bottom housing half, and a top housing half; and wherein said bottom housing half has a second throat extending from its perimeter to at least a bottom housing second half midpoint; and wherein said upper housing half has a third throat extending from its perimeter to at least an upper housing half midpoint; and wherein said second throat and said third throat are vertically aligned.
 4. The portable wire winder of claim 2 further comprising; a microprocessor affixed to said handle housing, wherein said microprocessor is operationally connected between said trigger switch and to said motor; said microprocessor adapted for the adjustment of a speed of said motor.
 5. The portable wire winder of claim 4 further comprising: a microprocessor operatively connected to said trigger assembly and said motor; a magnet disposed in said worm wheel, said magnet rotatable about a circular path around the midpoint of said worm wheel; a Hall Effect sensor affixed in said winder housing and operatively spaced at a fixed point adjacent said circular path, said Hall Effect sensor operatively connected to said microprocessor; wherein said microprocessor controls the electric power to said motor to adjust said speed of said motor.
 6. The portable wire winder of claim 5 wherein said microprocessor further comprises: a speed adjusting circuit having a slow speed, a fast speed and a cycle completion speed; a rotation counter circuit; and a throat alignment circuit adapted to rotate said worm wheel such that said first throat, said second throat and said third throat are aligned.
 7. A portable wire winder comprising: an operable electric powered rotational motor; a worm gear connected to said rotational motor; a worm wheel matingly conformed to, and engaged for rotation with said worm gear; a wire lug extending from said worm wheel; a two-part clamshell style worm assembly housing encasing said worm gear and said worm wheel; wherein said worm wheel has a worm wheel linear throat extending from a peripheral edge of said worm wheel to at least a midpoint of said worm wheel; and wherein said worm assembly housing has a linear throat alignable with said worm wheel throat.
 8. A portable wire winder comprising: a battery powered rotational motor; a horizontal winder assembly coupled to said rotational motor; and wherein said horizontal winder assembly has a linear throat therethrough and a wire lug extending therefrom that is adapted to travel in a circular path so as to twist any wire engaged on said wire lug about a midpoint of said circular path. 